In the High Isle chapter of The Elder Scrolls Online, you explore the culture of the proud Bretons and immerse yourself in challenging map games. In our test, we examine whether this is enough to make the DLC a success.
After two years of nostalgia in Skyrim and Oblivion, the team of The Elder Scrolls Online finally ventures into unknown waters again: The annual adventure 2022 deals with the legacy of the Bretons and takes you to the Systren Archipelago, which has never been explored before. On the two islands of High Isle and Amenos, you will become embroiled in the intrigues of the Order of the Ascended.
Their masked leaders are trying to free Tamriel from the rule of the three alliances so that the continent can finally find peace again. However, the Order’s choice of means is quite radical: the current leadership of the Dagger’s Arch Alliance, the Ebenherz Pact and the Aldmeri Dominion are to be wiped out and replaced by Order members. Of course you will try to prevent this! Until then, there is plenty of work and a real surprise waiting for you.
Table of Contents
What’s in High Isle
In addition to the self-contained area story, which is also the first part of the annual adventure, new world events await you in High Isle with the volcanic vents: In these, you help druids close active vents from which all kinds of fire beasts are flushed into the game world. These work in a similar way to Daedra Anchors or Gram Storms, as you will eventually defeat a final boss after several waves of enemies. However, the difficulty level decreases enormously the more player characters are present, as the amount of enemies, as usual, does not scale.
The challenge becomes more demanding when you face the six world bosses, who will give you a run for your money with their challenging abilities. The faun Glemyos Wildhorn, for example, confronts you with a deadly Indrik series that simply knocks you off your hero’s feet when you come into contact with the deer creatures!
The two atmospherically designed open dungeons are also worth a visit and take you to a ghost-infested harbour and the dark stronghold of a blood mage. For groups of 12, a new challenging test awaits you in the form of the Grey Sail Reef, where you can collect high-quality set equipment.
If you prefer to travel alone, explore six very different vaults and get to know the country and its people through the varied side quests. For this purpose, you recruit two NPC companions during your adventures, the chaotic-sympathetic Khajiit mage Funke and the honourable, adventurous Breton knight Isobel Velois.
These companions, however, make the already not really challenging battles a bit easier. The biggest innovation of the chapter was added with the Glory Stories card game, more on that later. If you own the Greymoor chapter, you also dig up Breton-style antiquities and fragments for new mystical equipment on High Isle and Amenos.
Progress in small portions
If you like the High Elf region Sommersend, you will also find a lot of familiar things on High Isle: bright rocks, bright blue skies and Mediterranean-maritime flair mix with many-towered castles that remind you of a trip to the Loire Valley. The druidic heritage of the chivalrous Bretons is evident in the various dolmens and dwellings carved into the rock that are nestled in the fertile landscape.
In the multi-level harbour town of Gonfalon, you have access to guild traders and craft stations, winding alleys alternate with turreted mansions, above which the castle towers majestically. Despite the levels and alleys, the layout of the city is pleasingly intuitive, as if the development team had tried to combine the best of Markath and Leyawiin – and successfully.
Impressions of High Isle
The dreamy Mediterranean landscape of High Isle and the wild jungle on Amenos Prison Island offer a lot for the eye – here we have a few insights for you.
Annual adventure seems to have taken on new momentum again, as small advances of previously criticised problems can be discovered in various places.
The main story, for example, remains pleasantly down-to-earth. Instead of supernatural enemies like dragons or otherworldly Daedra attackers, it confronts you with the intrigues of halfway normal people – if you can call murderous political schemers normal! High Isle also revisits the basic conflict of the game world, thus linking the content of a DLC to the main story for the first time. In this way, the plot of High Isle does not remain isolated and at the same time introduces a completely new and hitherto unknown area instead of rehashing the old familiar.
knights, crooks and mayhem
In the main story, you get caught in the middle of trying to end the war for the throne of Cyrodiil through diplomacy. The Breton noble Prince Bacaro Volorus acts as the organiser of a high-level peace conference and otherwise devotes himself entirely to helping the war-wounded through the League of the Steadfast and its hospitals, which he founded.
But when the conference ships get caught in an unnaturally strong storm and disappear, you take up the investigation alongside the Breton princess Arabelle Davaux and the charming rogue Jakarn. You are served a refreshingly varied story, whose boss fights finally break the pattern known from previous DLCs.
The side quests are also of the usual high standard and bring the Breton world to life: You redeem the spirits of cursed sailors, prevent the theft of a valuable artefact, save the land from corruption with druids or assist a young knight in various trials. Especially old acquaintances like the chaotic Northern ambassador Rigurt, who has got his diplomat colleagues into trouble, and the troubled servant Stibbons together with his mistress Princess Clarisse Laurent provide some laughs, which are only topped by an unexpected table dance interlude.
Important people in the High Isle chapter
During your adventures on High Isle and Amenos, you will fight alongside some prominent personalities, some of whom will already be familiar to fans.
War sequences with icing
Chivalric honour and light-hearted villainy determine many missions as an underlying theme and thus convey the Breton attitude to life between tradition and conformity, coupled with a bit of druidic magic. The island of Amenos, which serves as a prison for political prisoners and other criminals, is also interestingly staged.
The only shortcoming is the handling of the war: The conflict of the three alliances is portrayed as devastating and, according to various participants, hits the simple population hard. Apart from Prince Bacaro’s commitment to the victims of the war, there is not much evidence of a raging, long-standing conflict in the game world.
Most of the citizens are only concerned with their own small and large problems and comment on this topic at most on the sidelines. There are no field hospitals outside the League headquarters, and refugee camps are nowhere to be found. There would be more immersion in such a large city as Gonfalon through begging or homeless soldiers with amputated body parts, which were a frequent consequence of war in most conflicts in real history. High Island thus remains only a beautiful setting with a cheerful basic mood, but here Zenimax wastes many chances for a more profound game experience.
A heart for gamblers
While the developers have created a lot of content for High Isle within the usual framework, they can really make a splash with the chapter’s new addition, the glory story card game. Introduced as a game that the citizens of Tamriel play against each other in taverns and clubs formed for the purpose, it combines both tactical aspects and pure luck. The objective of each game is either to gain forty reputation points by discarding and combining cards with point values, or to gain patrons by supporting all four for a victory.
Patrons are represented by icon markers on the game table and support you as soon as you fulfil their requirements – for example, by sacrificing resources or forcing your opponents to take helpful cards from the game table. You receive basic strategic advice in the detailed tutorial, after which you compete with other beginners in the Gonfalon game club. You determine part of the card pool shared with your opponents by choosing two themed decks, each linked to a patron, but without a bit of luck the best strategy will fail.
Tactics plus luck equals fun
Additional action cards add plenty of randomness to each game. For example, if you have a strong card in your deck but can’t play it at the right moment, this, as well as the actions of your opponents, forces you to adjust your strategy.
This makes the glory stories a very dynamic, challenging experience, where even for defeats you receive a small reward in the form of gold and resources. For daily tasks, you will not only compete against NPC opponents, but also against fellow players; the glory stories have been given their own, new category in the group finder.
You’ll get more variety as you gain experience in the game: each large settlement has its own fame story local club with possible opponents. In addition, you can improve some cards, get new card sets and thus cartridges by advancing in the rank system of the Gonfalon glory story club or by completing game activities.
Even if you don’t know much about card games, it’s worth taking a look at the fame stories. At the latest when you have understood the basic strategies, an exciting experience awaits you, which is fun even with little time for the game and develops an amazing pull.
Editor’s verdict
A holiday far away is out of the question this year – so High Isle will have to satisfy your longing for a southern island. Coupled with a lot of Breton culture and fun stories, the chapter was fun for me, and the two companions also hit my nerve. Funke’s cheeky sayings and penchant for creative property transfer in particular make her the ideal companion for my thieving tours through inns and capitals. The fact that I had to laugh uproariously in parts, however, surprised me positively myself. Especially Jakarn, Rigurt and the chaos duo Stibbons and Princess Clarisse are just a lot of fun.
The person behind the chapter opponent, the ascended magus, was a bit predictable, but in view of the many twists and turns in the main story and the side quests, I’m happy to forgive that. As always, Zenimax does not reinvent the ESO wheel with High Isle, nor are old problems gone. However, this chapter offers a chic coat of varnish thanks to a great designed area and enough glitter in the form of diverse experiences to keep me thoroughly entertained. Here, the Glory Stories card game was the biggest surprise: I am a self-confessed card game hater and have only ever struggled with Gwent, Hearthstone and similar derivatives. With its mix of randomness and tactics, however, Tales of Glory hits a nerve and lures me back to the card table again and again.
